Below are some names that have circulated around the NBA trading market. Celtics forward Paul Pierce and his non-guaranteed salary next season, have made him fodder for trade speculation. Celtics forward Paul Pierce and his non-guaranteed salary next season, have made him fodder for trade speculation.

The deadline is still five weeks away, but team's jostling for the playoffs, or hoping to unload a hefty contract or two, could make a quick strike before Feb. 21. The L.A. Clippers are the example of a team looking to win now, and they could move young talent to bring in the expiring contract of a top scoring forward like a Paul Pierce. Then there's the Toronto Raptors, who could make a playoff push, but may find it a better idea to move Andrea Bargnani for more draft picks and salary cap room.

Eric Bledsoe, L.A. Clippers Currently a hot name with the Clips dominating the entire league. The third-year guard is arguably the best back PG in the NBA, and is a bargain with just $6.3 million owed to him over the next two seasons. Chris Paul and crew would hate to see him go, but Clippers management may dangle him to get back another shooter or big man for a playoff run. ESPN reported that the Washington Wizards inquired about Bledsoe's availability, maybe as insurance for the oft-injured John Wall.

Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers His shooting and confidence are clearly down, and Gasol's been on the block for more than a year. In fact he was traded to New Orleans, but that ended quickly after league commissioner David Stern nixed the trade. Next year he'll make $19.2 million and be 33-years-old. The Lakers are hurting, and the playoffs look like a longshot, which seemed unfathomable once they snagged Dwight Howard. And even though team owner Jerry Buss publicly stated he would not blow the team up, the Lakers could make a move to convince Howard they can still contend even with Kobe Bryant on the way out.

Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap, Utah Jazz The Jazz are currently 1.5 games back from the West's final playoff spot, but Jefferson and Milsap could be on the move since both are free agents next season. Utah has just $25 million committed to contracts next season, but have always been stingy and will probably look to re-sign one of their top frontcourt players, and develop Derrick Favors for the next few seasons.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics CBS Sports reported Pierce is on the block, not only for his scoring but his contract. Pierce's $15.3 million salary for next season is not entirely guaranteed, which could make him an excellent rental for a team looking to make a run.

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors The former No. 1 pick has been on the block for at least two years, with Lakers previously mentioned as a destination. Who takse him and his contract on is the biggest question. For someone owed more than $20 million over the next two seasons, the Raptors may have to take back heavier contracts or veterans in order to move Bargnani, who is shooting a career low 40 percent from the field and has a career average of five rebounds a game standing seven feet tall.

New 2013 NBA trade rumors could reveal a Brandon Jennings trade by the Milwaukee Bucks in the near future. A new report from CBS Sports on Sunday (Jan. 13) points out that Milwaukee is looking to make a trade and that they have a number of players that could be dealt before the NBA trade deadline.

Jennings becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the regular season, but it might come down to how much Milwaukee wants to spend on re-signing him. The team failed to give him a contract extension earlier this season, raising the stakes when it comes to future negotiations. It's also possible that Jennings wants a max-contract that Milwaukee might not be able to afford.

In addition to Jennings, CBS notes that Samuel Dalembert, John Henson, Ekpe Udoh, Larry Sanders, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Drew Gooden, and Beno Udrih could all be available on the trade market. It's even possible that Monta Ellis could be had for the right price, especially since he has an early-termination option within his own contract.

Milwaukee definitely has some tough decisions to make in the immediate future and many of them could shape how this team looks in the next few seasons. The easiest players to trade might be Dalembert, Mike Dunleavy and Udrih because they have expiring contracts, but what exactly could they expect in return for role players?

Do you think that the 2013 NBA trade rumors surrounding the Milwaukee Bucks will continue to increase? Could a Brandon Jennings trade really help out the franchise in the long-term?

Orlando Magic J.J Redick appears to be quite the wanted man amongst NBA teams these days. According to a report by John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, General Manager Rob Hennigan has informed Redick that several teams around the league have an active interest in trading for him.

"While he's not entirely sure what his future holds with the franchise, J.J still continues to take all of the talk in stride. First of all, you have to hope that there's another team that wants you because there are never any guarantees there, Redick said.`The way I approach things and the way I have been approaching things recently is to just focus on the day. I do feel overwhelmed at times if I try to picture myself a month from now (at the trade deadline) or six months from now in free agency. It's just not worth worrying right now.

At the (trade) deadline, maybe there's an offer that (GM) Rob (Hennigan) has to consider. But I don't get any indication from him that they are actively looking to move me, Redick continued. So if I'm here past the deadline, that's the first hurdle. Through 35 games this season, Redick is averaging 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. He's also shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.7% from behind the arc.

While many analysts and fans alike projected the Magic to be one of the bottom-feeders in the Eastern Conference this year after dealing away franchise center Dwight Howard back in August, Orlando has surprisingly been more competitive than expected. However, in recent weeks, the team has struggled mightily to put wins on the board. The Magic sit 12th in the conference with a record of 13-23. Before yesterday's 104-101 upset victory over the 28-8 Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando had suffered through it's longest losing streak of the season, losing ten straight games. Prior to that stretch, the team was hovering around the .500 mark at 12-13, which is an extremely respectable record for a roster lacking in serious elite-level talent.

Hennigan has a huge decision to make as it pertains to J.J Redick. Averaging career-highs in minutes, scoring, rebounding and assists, Redick's role on this team has increased dramatically since the departure of Howard. Even with his strong play, Rob Hennigan and the rest of the Magic have to continue building towards the future. J.J becomes an unrestricted free-agent this offseason, so perhaps dealing him before the February 21st deadline would ultimately be the best decision moving forward, rather than watching him leave and get nothing in return. Besides, his $6 million dollar expiring contract could sweeten the pot even more for potential trade partners.

It doesn't necessarily matter how many games the Magic win this season. They are nowhere near a threat for an NBA championship with their current makeup. If a potential J.J Redick trade can bring in valuable assets to help continue the rebuilding process in Orlando, then I don't see any reason why Hennigan wouldn't strongly listen to offers around the league

If DA has a tentative deal(s) already worked out, we could see a trade(s) at 12:01 AM Tuesday morning.

I love this time of year!!

Me too... I think Danny is always active trying to make moves every year. When moves don't happen, I doubt it's because of Danny not being willing to deal anyone. I think it's because other teams either change their minds or don't like what the c's are offering. I think a major trade occurs this year involving the c's. Danny has assembled some tradable assets this offseason. Additionally, he has two major chips in pierce and maybe Rondo that could be moved if the offer is too good to be refused

If DA has a tentative deal(s) already worked out, we could see a trade(s) at 12:01 AM Tuesday morning.

I love this time of year!!

Me too... I think Danny is always active trying to make moves every year. When moves don't happen, I doubt it's because of Danny not being willing to deal anyone. I think it's because other teams either change their minds or don't like what the c's are offering. I think a major trade occurs this year involving the c's. Danny has assembled some tradable assets this offseason. Additionally, he has two major chips in pierce and maybe Rondo that could be moved if the offer is too good to be refused

Agree! We will also find out how much upside DA and Doc think Melo has. If they think he is about to develop into something special, he likely will not be moved.

I agree Kirk, but DA is dangling him for a reason! I am guessing he has a specific target in mind!

Or it is just that he is putting his brightest and most attractive merchandise in the window to attract shoppers. Danny may want to be involved in conversations at every level to guage who is how motivated to move what and if the Celts can make a good deal.

I agree Kirk, but DA is dangling him for a reason! I am guessing he has a specific target in mind!

Or it is just that he is putting his brightest and most attractive merchandise in the window to attract shoppers. Danny may want to be involved in conversations at every level to guage who is how motivated to move what and if the Celts can make a good deal.

I agree Kirk, but DA is dangling him for a reason! I am guessing he has a specific target in mind!

Or it is just that he is putting his brightest and most attractive merchandise in the window to attract shoppers. Danny may want to be involved in conversations at every level to guage who is how motivated to move what and if the Celts can make a good deal.

I posted last week Pierce only if he agree's, for Bledsoe and butler, but i would only do that deal if we were to trade Rondo for Cousins!!

That would put the Clips over the top....and help us for the long haul...Cousings would be nice.who is our go to scorer...??..

Definitely agree with you. Pierce is our most reliable scorer and his offense would be missed. Trading Rondo for Cousins wouldn't work since Rondo doesn't even have a reliable backup. Who is our starting point guard if Rondo is traded? I also don't believe that Cousins will be traded until the rumored sale of the team is finalized.

More names are constantly being thrown into the NBA rumor mill, and you can bet that the number of potential deals will continue to increase the closer we get to the Feb 21 trade deadline.Let's take a quick look at the latest rumors.

The latest on Rudy Gay

Everybody is probably tired of hearing Rudy Gay's name in the trade rumors at this point, as the athletic small forward has been linked with just about every team in the league that is looking to move players.

The latest news is that the Washington Wizards might be interested in dealing for Gay. Ric Butcher initially wrote on his sulia that the Wizards are prepared to make a good offer in order to attain the services of the 26-year-old.

It is hard to see what the Wizards could offer Memphis, unless Washington would entertain the notion of breaking up their young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. They could move Emeka Okafor, who is owed $14.5M next season, while also adding Jordan Crawford's attractive contract. Crawford, who is averaging 15.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4 rebounds on the season, is owed a modest $2.1M next season.

Lionel Hollins, and several Memphis players, have been openly preaching to the organization for a chance to keep the team together, at least for this season. Unless the trade would involve John Wall, it is unlikely that the Grizzlies would be particularly interested in doing business with Washington.

Could the Blazers be looking to move J.J. Hickson?

John Canzano, of The Oregonian, recently highlighted the fact that J.J. Hickson will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. Hickson has been a huge contributor in helping Portland to a 20-16 record this season, good for a 7th seed in a competitive Western Conference.

Hickson's $4M contract will expire after this season. When players head into unrestricted free agency, the front office always has to go through an evaluation process. Does this player have trade value? Do we want to, and can we, retain him by signing him to a multi-year deal in the off-season? Do we just let him go?

In Hickson's case, he has undoubtedly performed better than his $4M contract. He is averaging 12.2 points and 11 rebounds this season, being the starting center for the Blazers.

It is doubtful that the Blazers would get much in return for Hickson, other than perhaps future picks. Trading the team's starting center would also hurt Portland's playoff chances. Then again, even if Portland makes the playoffs this season, it will take at least a couple more years for Damian Lillard to be able to make the Blazers a serious contender.

It is indeed a classical dilemma for the Trail Blazers front office, who will have to decide whether Hickson is worth the extra money and will be in the team's long term plans, or if he is expendable.

Will the Jazz move Al Jefferson?

Both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are headed into unrestricted free agency this summer, and it has been rumored for a while that the Jazz might be moving one of the two before the deadline.

It's just part of the business. My first couple of years in the league I used to be listening to the rumors daily and then I'd hear my name in those types of trade rumors. But this is my ninth year and its part of the business. There are things you're just going to have to deal with. It's just like you say they're rumors, you know, so that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to be true. It's a part of the game. Al Jefferson

Utah has a lot of expiring contracts this summer, having as little as $25.6M in salary commitments next season. This will give the team more than enough wiggle room to be very active in this summer's free agency.

Jefferson will earn $15M this season and Utah faces the tough question as to whether the 28-year-old center is good enough to be the team's franchise centerpiece

While Big Al is averaging 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds on the season, signing him to another huge contract might be a mistake for this young Utah team. At 20-19, Utah is just outside of the 8th playoff spot right now, and even if the Jazz would manage to get over the hump, it is unlikely that this team would go beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The Jazz should definitely look to trade for some good young pieces in return for Jefferson, although the $15M contract might not be that easy to move.